Communications terminal, a system and a method for internet/network telephony

ABSTRACT

A communication terminal for Internet telephony is provided that handles and control communication of data in accordance with a standardized network protocol and exchanges data with a connecting unit connected to the Internet where the resulting data exchanged between the terminal and a connecting unit consist of packets in a standardized protocol data packet format embedded in a wireless format. This provides a communications terminal which uses a network or the Internet for the transfer of digitized speech, etc., thereby achieving great economic savings. Also, the flexibility is increased with respect to wireless communication with the network or the Internet without any need for specialized equipment and functionality.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/360,574, filed on Jan. 27, 2012, and entitled “A COMMUNICATIONSTERMINAL, A SYSTEM AND A METHOD FOR INTERNET/NETWORK TELEPHONY,” whichis a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/153,062, filed onMay 13, 2008 (issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,107,449 on Jan. 31, 2012), whichis a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/711,009, filedFeb. 27, 2007, (issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,408,915 on Aug. 5, 2008),which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/362,508,filed Feb. 25, 2003 (issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,187,670 on Mar. 6, 2007),which is a national stage entry of PCT Patent Application No.PCT/DK01/00571, filed Sep. 3, 2001, which claims priority to DenmarkPatent Application No. PA 2000 01308, filed Sep. 1, 2000, the entiretiesof which are herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

This invention relates to an electronic portable communications terminalfor Internet/network telephony. The invention also relates to a systemfor Internet/network telephony and to a method for the same.

The invention additionally relates to a computer-readable mediumcomprising a program which may be caused to execute the method of theinvention on one or more computers or CPUs.

Telephony via the Internet (IP telephony) is a very low-cost alternativeto ordinary telephony, in particular over long distances. Such systemsconvert the speech information into and from a suitable digital format,which is divided into data packets that are transported via the Internetitself, the actual transport via the Internet being typically at a fixedprice.

Moreover, IP telephony may also be used for communication with astationary conventional telephone coupled to the existing telephonenetwork, as the Internet may be used for transmitting data to a localgateway which is connected to the existing public switched telephonenetwork (PSTN). Thus, the user need just pay a local telephone chargeeven for long distance calls, as the Internet is used for the transportof data to the gateway/location concerned.

Such IP telephony systems/solutions will undoubtedly become moreattractive as more and more people get access to the Internet and/or areconnected in networks, and as the supply of fixed charge, free,permanent and broadband solutions in connection with the Internet and/orother networks gets greater.

Patent publication WO 00/51375 discloses a communication system where adual-mode device is capable of both cell phone communication andtelephone communication on a IP LAN/network. The dual-mode deviceconnects to the LAN/network either via a cable connecting directly tothe LAN/network or a cable connecting to a wireless communication devicein wireless communication with a wireless LAN/network. The establishmentof a connection to the LAN/network is troublesome since a cable is usedand restricts the movement of the user when the dual-mode device isbeing used and requires for special equipment at the connecting point inthe case of a wireless LAN/network.

Additionally, the support of both communication formats causes thedual-mode device to be of a complicated and more expensive design with arelative large power usage.

Patent Publication WO 98/57508 relates to a system for wirelesscommunication via a DECT terminal and a base station, such as e.g. adigital wireless telephone connected to a base station. The system usesthe IP protocol for passing on digital speech information via theInternet between various base stations (DECT islands), so that a givenDECT terminal will receive a call at the base station at which theterminal is present. This provides increased mobility, as the terminalmay be used at other base stations.

A gateway (GW) constitutes the very interface to the DECT base stationand handles the conversion of telephone numbers into IP addresses, asthe DECT terminal itself does not know its IP address which must beunique. Further, the DECT terminal(s) has to be known, identified and/orpaired beforehand with the base station in order to establishcommunication.

Patent Publication WO 99/38311 relates to a system and a correspondingmethod of providing a wireless RF (Radio Frequency) interface betweenone or more terminals and an Internet Protocol (IP)/Internet telephonesystem, so that the terminals may be used for telephony via theInternet. The system uses a base station which partly handles andcontrols the distribution of information to the various terminals andpartly handles the access to the Internet, which means that the basestation controls/contains the relevant protocols inter alia inconnection with the Internet.

Further, a terminal associated with a given base station cannot readilybe used in connection with another base station, as the base stationmust know the number of terminals in order to allocate to each terminalits unique frequency and/or jump frequency for use in communication, sothat the correct information is received/transmitted by the correctterminal.

The two above-mentioned systems both have the drawback that they requirea specialized type of equipment (base station, gateway, etc.), which isa great obstacle to the flexibility with respect to mobility andupdating/expansion of functionality, since the specialized equipmentmust be physically present at every single location where the terminalsare contemplated for use.

SUMMARY

An object of the invention is to provide a communications terminal whichuses a network and/or the Internet for transferring information/datarepresenting digitized speech, sounds, music, etc.

Another object of the invention is to provide a communications terminalwhich increases the flexibility with respect to wirelesscommunication/connection with a network and/or the Internet.

A further object of the invention is to provide a communicationsterminal which does not need specialized equipment and functionality toprovide a connection to a network and/or the Internet.

Still a further object of the invention is to enable flexibility withrespect to functionality.

Yet another object is to provide a communications terminal enablingrelative simple design, small size, and relative low/reduced powerconsumption.

These objects, among others, are achieved by an electronic portablecommunications terminal for Internet/network telephony comprising

audio means adapted to reproduce sound on the basis of a firstelectrical signal and to record sound resulting in a second electricalsignal,

converting means adapted to convert said second electrical signal intotransmission data, representing sound for transmission, in a suitabledata format, and to convert received data, representing received sound,in said suitable data format into said first electrical signal, and

protocol means adapted to handle and control communication of saidreceived and transmission data in accordance with a standardizedInternet/network protocol, such as e.g. TCP/IP, thereby embedding andextracting said transmission and received data, respectively, in a datapacket format,

wherein said terminal further comprises

wireless communications means for wireless near field communication ofsaid received and/or transmission data in a wireless data format with aconnecting unit adapted to establish a connection to a network and/orthe Internet according to said standardized Internet/network protocol,where the wireless communications means is further adapted to

embed/extract packets of said data packet format in/from said wirelessdata format.

A portable communications terminal is achieved hereby which providestelephony via a network or the Internet, which gives a considerableeconomic advantage.

The communications terminal establishes a wireless connection to aconnecting unit which establishes a connection to the relevant network.

In addition, a communications terminal is provided which canindependently control and communicate data packets according to astandardized Internet/network protocol such as e.g. the TCP/IP protocol.This makes it possible to use simplified standardized equipment, whichmust merely be capable of establishing a connection to a given networkand/or the Internet. The wireless connection is just used fortransferring the data packets to the connecting unit in an expedientmanner.

In this way a terminal according to the invention may be used forInternet telephony, if just it is in the vicinity of standardizedequipment allowing the set-up of a network and/or Internet connection.The local handling of the IP protocol also makes it easier to use theterminal in connection with “foreign” connecting units, since aconfiguration will be considerably easier and can be made automaticallyin certain types of wireless protocols.

Also provided is the option of dynamic allocation of a useful IP addressvia the protocol means, as a valid IP address for a given session (i.e.communication) may be allocated to the communications terminal. Thisresults in even greater mobility, as the allocation may take place independence on the connecting unit with which the wireless connection isestablished, since the protocol means are present in the terminalitself. A user would be capable of receiving and transmitting a callregardless of the specific location as long as there is Internet/networkaccess.

It is moreover ensured that the handling and functionality of severalterminals are facilitated considerably, since e.g. a central databasecan relate unique and fixed addresses to users of the terminals, i.e. alocal unique address is related to a temporary IP-address. A example ofa local unique address may be the unique 48-bit address used in theBluetooth protocol, a telephone number, etc.

Additionally, since only communication means for near fieldcommunication needs to be present, i.e. no other communication meanslike cellular communication means, etc., a relative low complexity andpower consumption is obtained and a relatively small size of theterminal is made possible thereby making is very suitable for wearingand/or carrying by a user.

Preferably, the wireless data format is a Bluetooth data format.

In a preferred embodiment, said terminal is adapted to communicateadditional information and/or data with said connecting unit, whereinsaid additional information and/or data comprises one or more of:

an IP address of a communication receiver,

an IP address of a communication transmitter/said terminal,

an IP address of at least one connecting unit,

an IP address of a service server,

TCP/IP packets,

speech mails,

commercials,

music,

stock exchange and financial news

chat-lines,

chat-rooms,

telephone meetings.

Relevant information may be sent in this way together with thetransmitted speech information, whereby various functionalities may beprovided, optionally in dependence on a user profile.

In a preferred embodiment, said terminal is adapted to establish aconnection to a service server on said network and/or the Internet viathe connecting unit, so that information concerning a desiredcommunication receiver may be transferred to the server, said serverbeing adapted to pass on information concerning the IP address of thedesired communication receiver and/or to provide a direct connectionbetween the desired communication receiver and a communicationtransmitter/said terminal.

Hereby, a central server can keep track of which terminals areaccessible and where, so that a user wishing to make a call is merely toknow an alias, a nickname, the IP address, etc. of the user whom it isdesired to contact.

In a further embodiment, said terminal comprises speech recognitionmeans adapted to analyze and interpret said sound for recording and/orsaid transmission data to identify one or more commands.

This makes the terminal easier to operate for a user, and the physicaldimensions of the terminal itself may be reduced, as operating buttons,etc. can be avoided completely or reduced greatly in numbers.

In an embodiment, said near field communications means for near fieldcommunication are adapted to communicate in the form of one or more of:

an RF communications protocol such as e.g. Bluetooth, DECT, etc.,

an infrared communications protocol, or

another wireless communications protocol.

In an embodiment, said suitable data format is a compressed data format.This provides a better/optimal utilization of the available bandwidth onthe network and/or the Internet used, as the data packets/the digitalinformation are/is compressed prior to transmission.

In a preferred embodiment, said terminal is an ear telephone whichcomprises means for capturing sound for said recording via the cheekboneand the soft tissue in the auditory canal of a user. Alternatively, theterminal comprises means for capturing sound via a boom microphone.

This provides a very discrete, compact and hands-free or minimallyhand-operated communications terminal of a small physical size. Anexample of an ear telephone that may be used in connection with thepresent invention is disclosed in the European Patent Application EP 0673 587 incorporated herein by reference.

In another preferred embodiment, the terminal is a headset comprising ahousing comprising the converting means, the wireless communicationmeans, and the protocol means, an earpiece secured to the housingcomprising means for reproducing sound on the basis of the firstelectrical signal, a brace secured to the housing at one end and with asound capturing unit for capturing sound for transmission in the form ofa second electrical signal located at the other end of the brace,thereby allowing for easy carrying and use of the terminal and providinga very discrete, compact and hands-free or minimally hand-operatedcommunications terminal of a small physical size.

In one embodiment the headset also comprises a second brace, spring,arm, etc. secured to the housing which may stabilises and secures theheadset to a user's head by being adapted to engage the user's ear.

A further object of the invention is to provide a system which has theabove-mentioned advantages and accomplishes the above-mentioned objects.

This is achieved by a system for Internet telephony, said systemcomprising

a portable communications terminal according to one or more of the aboveembodiments,

a connecting unit adapted to establish a connection to a network and/orthe Internet,

a service server connected to the Internet and/or a network, said servercomprising one or more databases comprising information related topotential desired communication receivers and/or transmitters, saidserver being adapted to pass on information concerning the IP address ofa desired communication receiver and/or establish a direct connectionbetween the desired communication receiver and a communicationtransmitter/said terminal.

A system is achieved hereby wherein a central service server can handleand control the connection between a large number of users. Further,also the option of further functionality is provided, e.g. in the formof news, reading of mails, speech mails, commercials, music, stockexchange and financial news, etc., which may be transmitted to a user ofthe system, e.g. depending on a user profile. Moreover, it is possibleto provide functionalities, such as chat-lines, chat-rooms, telephonemeetings, etc., where several terminals/users can communicate with eachother so that everybody can hear what everybody says.

In an embodiment, the system additionally comprises speech recognitionmeans adapted to analyse and interpret data representing sound toidentify one or more commands. Speech recognition may be achieved herebywithout necessarily having them placed in a terminal according to theinvention, which is a great advantage since speech recognition requiresrelatively great resources of processor power and storage capacity.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method and embodimentsthereof enabling the same possibilities and the same advantages as areprovided by the embodiments of the communications terminal describedabove.

This is achieved by a method for Internet/network telephony comprisingthe steps of

reproducing sound on the basis of a first electrical signal andrecording sound resulting in a second electrical signal, by audio means,

converting said second electrical signal into transmission data,representing sound for transmission, in a suitable data format, andconverting received data, representing received sound, in said suitabledata format into said first electrical signal, by converting means, and

handling/control of communication with said received and transmissiondata in accordance with a standardized Internet/network protocol, suchas e.g. TCP/IP, and embedding and extracting said transmission andreceived data, respectively, in/from a data packet format according tosaid standardized Internet/network protocol, by protocol means,

wherein the method further comprises the steps of

wireless near field communication of said received and/or transmissiondata in a wireless data format with a connecting unit adapted toestablish a connection to a network and/or the Internet according tosaid standardized Internet/network protocol

embedding/extracting packets of said data packet format in/from saidwireless data format.

In an embodiment, said method communicates additional information and/ordata with said connecting unit, and said additional information and/ordata comprises one or more of:

an IP address of a communication receiver,

an IP address of a communication transmitter/said terminal,

an IP address of at least one connecting unit,

an IP address of a service server,

TCP/IP packets,

speech mails,

commercials,

music,

stock exchange and financial news,

chat-lines,

chat-rooms,

telephone meetings.

In a further embodiment, said method establishes a connection to aservice server on said network and/or the Internet via said connectingunit, so that information concerning a desired communication receivermay be transferred to the server, said server being adapted to pass oninformation concerning the IP address of the desired communicationreceiver and/or to establish a direct connection between the desiredcommunication receiver and a communication transmitter/said terminal.

In another embodiment, said method comprises speech recognition foranalysis and interpretation of said sound for recording and/or saidtransmission data to identify one or more commands.

In still another embodiment, said communications means for near fieldcommunication communicates in the form of one or more of:

an RF communications protocol such as e.g. Bluetooth, DECT or the like,

an infrared communications protocol, or

another wireless communications protocol.

In an embodiment, said suitable data format is a compressed data format.

In one embodiment, the method is used in an ear telephone whichcomprises means for capturing sound for said recording via thecheek-bone and the soft tissue in the auditory canal of a user.

In one embodiment, the method is used in a headset comprising a housingcomprising converting means, wireless near-field communication means,and protocol means, an earpiece secured to the housing comprising meansfor reproducing sound on the basis of the first electrical signal, abrace secured to the housing at one end and with a sound capturing unitfor capturing sound for transmission in the form of a second electricalsignal located at the other end of the brace.

The invention additionally relates to a computer-readable mediumcomprising a program written thereon, wherein the program, when beingexecuted, causes the computer to perform the method according to thepresent invention.

The computer-readable medium may be a suitable volatile nor non-volatilemedium, such as e.g. a CD-ROM, a magnetic disc, a ROM circuit, a networkconnection or generally any other medium which can provide a computersystem with information on how instructions/commands are to beperformed/executed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be explained more fully below with reference to thedrawing, in which

FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of a communications terminalaccording to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 a illustrates a system according to the invention in which twocommunications terminals and a service server are shown;

FIG. 2 b illustrates the system according to the invention in whichanother type of connecting unit is shown;

FIG. 2 c illustrates the system according to the invention in which auser connected to the traditional telephone network (PSTN) is shown;

FIGS. 3 a and 3 b illustrates a flowchart of an embodiment of the methodaccording to the invention;

FIG. 4 shows a preferred embodiment of a communications terminalaccording to the invention; and

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of an alternative preferred embodimentof a communications terminal according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of a communications terminal(100) according to an embodiment of the invention. Shown schematicallyin the figure are audio means (101) e.g. in the form of some type ofloudspeaker, sound generator, transducer, etc., and some type ofmicrophone, transducer or other sound capturing unit.

The audio means (101) are used for playing/reproducing received soundinformation, such as e.g. speech, music, etc., in the form of a firstelectrical signal, and for capturing sound for transmission in the formof a second electrical signal, respectively.

Also shown are converting means (102) which convert the secondelectrical signal into a suitable digital sound format suitable fortransmission. The converting means (102) also convert received sounddata in the suitable digital sound format into the firstelectrical/analog signal prior to playing via the loudspeaker, soundgenerator, transducer, etc.

The converting means (102) comprise A/D and D/A converters and/or acodec (coder and decoder) for converting between analog and digitalsound. If a codec is used, the digitized data may be compressed so thatthe amount of data to be transmitted and received is reducedconsiderably.

The suitable digital sound format may e.g. be raw data, ADPCM, DTMF,PCM, Way, MP3 and other suitable digital sound formats, and severalformats may e.g. be supported at the same time. Additionally, e.g. alsoone or more streaming sound/audio formats might be supported in theconverting means (102).

The converting means (102) are connected to protocol means (103)/aprotocol stack which provide for the handling of data/information inconnection with transmission and reception of data. The protocol whichis preferably used is the TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/InternetProtocol) suit of protocols e.g. including PPP (Point-to-PointProtocol). The IP protocol part provides for the actual handling of datain the form of splitting or collection of the digital information indata packets as well as handling of receiver and transmitter information(in the form of IP addresses), while the TCP protocol part provides forthe actual handling of the connection between receiver and transmitter.

The protocol means (103) may e.g. be comprised by a special- and/orgeneral-purpose microprocessor, logic circuit, etc.

The protocol means (103) are connected to wireless communications means(104), which receive digitized sound/data in the form of IP packets fromthe protocol means (103) via a bus between the protocol means (103) andthe wireless communication means (104) (e.g. under the control or viathe microprocessor (105), as shown in FIG. 1. The aerial, antenna, etc.(106) is used for the wireless transmission with a connecting unit. Thisis for further wireless transmission. The communications means (104)also receive wireless data which are transmitted to the protocol meansin the form of IP packets for further processing and playing via theconverting means (102) and the audio means (101)/loudspeaker/soundgenerator.

The information which the communications means (104) receive or are totransmit, is typically embedded in a suitable format. So in this casethe IP packets are embedded in a transmission format in accordance withwireless communication protocol e.g. also embedded in a packet format.

Preferably, the communications means (104) use an RF (Radio Frequency)connection in accordance with e.g. Bluetooth, DECT, IEEE802.11 or otherwireless protocols. Bluetooth is especially advantageous for portableterminals since it is designed with low power consumption in mind.Alternatively, also infrared wireless communications protocols may beused.

The communications terminal (100) also comprises acalculating/processing unit, such as a CPU, microprocessor or the like,for controlling and coordinating the various parts. Preferably, themicroprocessor (105) is connected to one or more memory elements (notshown), such as e.g. RAM, Flash, ROM, etc., for storage and provision ofrelevant information. In an alternative embodiment, the microprocessor(105) and the protocol means (103) is comprised in a singlemicroprocessor unit.

That the terminal (100) contains protocol means (103) forhandling/control allows the use of simplified standardizedconnection/coupling equipment, which must merely be capable ofestablishing a connection to a given network and/or the Internet, andthe local handling of the IP protocol also makes it easier to use theterminal (100) in connection with “foreign” connecting units, since aconfiguration is considerably easier and may be made automatically incertain types of wireless protocols. The only requirement is the same RFcommunication system in the terminal and connection/coupling equipmentwith access to the Internet/a network.

In an alternative embodiment, the terminal (100) also comprises speechrecognition means e.g. implemented via the microprocessor (15) and/orimplemented via specialized hardware, so that the terminal (100) may beoperated hands-free in case of spoken commands.Additionally/alternatively, the terminal comprises one or more operatingmeans like buttons, switches, etc.

The terminal (100) also comprises an energy/power source (not shown)like one or more batteries.

FIG. 2 a illustrates a system according to the invention where twocommunications terminals (200; 200′) and a service server (210) areshown. The figure illustrates how two users (201; 201′) areinterconnected via the communications terminals (200; 200′) according tothe invention.

The terminals (200; 200′) are illustrated in the figure as a preferredembodiment, both in the form of an ear telephone which will be explainedmore fully in connection with FIG. 4.

An alternative preferred embodiment of a terminal (200; 200′) isexplained in connection with FIG. 5.

The figure just shows two users (201; 201′) for clarity, but in practicea much larger number of users will be connected to the system at thesame time.

Each terminal (200; 200′) is connected to the Internet (220) and/oranother network, such as e.g. a local network or intranet in a company,household, etc. via a connecting unit (202; 202′). The connecting units(202; 202′) are equipped with a wireless communications module/atransceiver (203, 203′), such as e.g. a Bluetooth module or the like, sothat a wireless communications link is established between a givenconnecting unit (202; 202′) and a given terminal (200; 200′).

Several users (201; 201′) may also be connected to the same wirelesscommunications module/the same transceiver (203; 203′).

The connecting units (202; 202′) may e.g. be a standard computer, PDA, amobile telephone etc. with Internet connection, preferably a broadbandconnection.

The system additionally comprises one or more service servers (210)likewise connected to the Internet/network (220). The service server(210) comprises one or more databases (211) where relevant informationconcerning the users (201; 201′) of the system is saved.

The database (211) comprises information such as e.g. one or more useraliases per user (201; 201′) and associated current IP addresses. The IPaddresses may either be static (e.g. if the user (201; 201′) isconnected to a company network) or dynamic, where an IP address isallocated to the user (or rather the terminal (200; 200′) each time theuser (201; 201′) connects to the system.

The server can thus keep track of which terminals (200; 200′)/users(201; 201′) are accessible and where.

The service server (210) additionally comprises at least one router(212) which establishes the connection between users (201; 201′) whohave wanted contact.

The service server (210) may also be used for contributing additionalservices, functions, etc., such as e.g. news, reading of mails, speechmails, commercials, music, stock exchange and financial news, etc.,which may be sent to a user (201; 201′) of the system, e.g. depending ona user profile.

A further functionality that may be provided by the server (210) is achat-line, chat-rooms, telephone meetings, etc., where several terminal(200; 200′)/users (201; 201′) are given the opportunity of communicatingwith each other so that everybody can hear what everybody says.

A further option might be that the user profile comprises a “negativelist” of persons with whom no contact is desired.

The system operates in that when e.g. a first user (201) wants to talkto a second user (201′), the first user (201) indicates this on theportable communications terminal (200). This indication may take placeby keypad entering, voice command, etc. of an alias, an IP address orthe like of the second user (201′).

The terminal (200) establishes a connection via the wireless connectionto the transceiver (203), the connecting unit (202) and the Internet(220), where e.g. the alias of the user (201′) is transmitted. Theserver (210) checks whether the second user (201′) with the forwardedalias is accessible/online and, if so, obtains a current IP address ofthe second user (201′). Then a two-way connection is established betweenthe first user (201) and the second user (201′) via the router (212).

Alternatively, the current IP address of the second user (201′) may besent back to the first user's (201) terminal (200), thereby allowing adirect two-way connection to be established between the terminals (200)and (200′).

After the connection has been established, the Internet (220) is usedfor transporting speech between the two users (201; 201′) in a suitabledigital format in IP packets, as described in connection with FIG. 1.

If the terminal (200; 200′) and/or the service server (210) supportsspeech recognition, the operation of the terminal (200; 200′) may besimplified, and specific commands related to the service server may bepassed on to the server (210) either for interpretation here or as oneor more binary commands, a query or the like.

Alternatively, the connecting unit (202; 202′) may be a mobile telephoneadapted to be connected to the Internet (220) e.g. via a broadbandconnection equipped with e.g. Bluetooth or DECT functionality or othersuitable wireless connections. Hereby, the user (201; 201′) is given aneven greater mobility and also the economic savings of IP telephony, asthe long distance traffic takes place via the Internet (220). The mobiletelephone may e.g. be of the type GSM, GPRS, etc. or of another suitabletype.

FIG. 2 b illustrates the system according to the invention, whereanother type of connecting unit is shown. This figure corresponds toFIG. 2 a, but with the difference that the second user's (201′)connecting unit is now formed by a gateway (230). The gateway (230)provides coupling possibilities for several terminals (200; 200′)/users(201; 201′) e.g. in a local network, intranet, a household, a block offlats, etc.

Alternatively, the gateway (230) may be provided/incorporated in arefrigerator, a television set e.g. via cable or satellite, or otherhousehold devices providing the possibility of access to the Internet.Preferably, a gateway (230) with broadband possibility is used, e.g. viaISDN, ADSL, Frame Relay, xDSL, etc.

FIG. 2 c illustrates the system according to the invention where a usercoupled to the traditional telephone network (PSTN) is shown. Thisfigure corresponds to FIGS. 2 a and 2 b with the difference that thesecond user's (201) connecting unit is now formed by a PSTNinterface/gateway (240) coupled to the user's (201′) ordinary standardtelephone (241). It is hereby also possible to reach users on thetraditional telephone network.

FIG. 3 a illustrates a flowchart of an embodiment of the methodaccording to the invention.

In step (301), a wireless connection is established between acommunications terminal, such as e.g. an ear telephone, a headset, etc.and a connecting unit, such as e.g. a computer, mobile telephone,Internet access point, PDA or the like providing the possibility ofestablishing a connection to the Internet or a connection to anothernetwork.

In step (302), the terminal transmits information using the TCP/IPprotocol to a service server, coupled to the Internet/network via theconnecting unit, regarding the identity of the user (alias, etc.),regarding whether the user is online (wants to be available for calls),and regarding the physical IP address at which the terminal may bereached. This information is stored/updated in one or more databases atthe server.

Then, optionally in accordance with a user profile, the server cantransmit data and information, such as news, reading of mails, speechmails, commercials, music, stock exchange and financial news, etc. tothe user.

A check is made in step (303) as to whether the user wants to contactanother user.

If so, a request is sent in step (304) to the server comprising e.g. analias of the user whom it is desired to contact. The service serverchecks whether a user having this alias exists, whether the personconcerned is online, and, if so, at which physical IP address this otheruser can be reached.

If this is not desired, then idle mode is resumed, and the check (303)is performed currently by interrupt, polling, etc. Other functions maybe carried out in idle mode.

Then a connection is established in step (305) between the first andsecond users, following which the actual conversation can begin. Theconnection is preferably a TCP/IP connection either via the serviceserver or directly. If the connection is direct a new/another TCP/IPconnection has to be established between the to conversationparticipants and if the connection is via the server the TCP/IPconnection established in step (301) may be used.

In steps (306)-(308), the data received from the second user are handledand played, but recording of sound and transmission of it to the seconduser take place in steps (309)-(311). These steps may be performedeither simultaneously/parallel or alternating e.g. by multiplexing, etc.

In step (306), data are received via the wireless interface in the formof IP packets. The embedded sound data/information in the IP packetsare/is converted into a first analog sound signal in step (307), e.g. bya D/A converter, codec, etc., and then it is reproduced/played for theuser in step (308) e.g. via a loudspeaker, sound generator, etc.

In step (309), sound is captured by a microphone, a transducer, etc. inthe form of a second electrical signal, which is converted via an A/Dconverter, codec, etc. into a digital signal in step (310). Theinformation of this digital signal is split and embedded in IP packetsby TCP/IP protocol means which is RF modulated (e.g. the IP packets areconverted/embedded in packets according to the used RF protocol bywireless/RF communications means), and then the packets are transmittedto the second conversation partner via a transceiver receiving the RFpackets and extracting the IP packets and transmitting the extracted IPpackets via the Internet/the network to the second conversation partner.

These steps (306-308; 309-311) are repeated until the conversation hasbeen terminated.

After the conversation has been terminated, which is checked in step(312), the system returns to idle mode in step (303) and waits for a newcall (either incoming or outgoing).

The steps of receiving a call, shown in FIG. 3 b, is similar to thesteps in FIG. 3 a where an incoming call is detected and the user mayhave the option of accepting or refusing the call. If the call isaccepted a TCP/IP connection between the caller and the receiver isestablished either directly or via a service server and steps like(306-311) are performed. If a call is refused the terminal returns toidle mode. Preferably, the method comprises the steps of (301-302), atest (303) of whether an incoming and/or outgoing call is detected, andthe steps (304-312) where step (304) only is executed for outgoingcalls.

FIG. 4 shows a preferred embodiment of a communications terminalaccording to the invention. An ear telephone (400) is shown in thefigure. The ear telephone (400) is preferably moulded and can bemanufactured individually in conformity with the user's ear. Shown is asound generator (401), such as e.g. a loudspeaker which is used forreproducing sound information received via wireless communications means(not shown), as explained above. Also shown is some type of microphone,transducer or other sound capturing unit (shown in part) with a rubbercoating (402) for sound capture and generation of a second electricalsignal.

The functionality of the ear telephone corresponds to the terminaldescribed in connection with FIG. 1 and the system.

This provides a very discrete, compact and hands-free or minimallyhand-operated communications terminal of a small physical size e.g. 5-8cm^3.

Alternatively, the wireless communications means may be arrangedexternally of the ear telephone (400) itself and e.g. be positioned in ahousing which may be secured to the body of the user, e.g. in the belt.The housing and the ear telephone are then merely to be connected, e.g.via a wire or other wireless communications means which need a smallerrange than the wireless communications means for communication with theconnecting unit, and can therefore have a smaller physical size, smallerenergy consumption, etc.

For further details of an example of an ear telephone reference is madee.g. to the European Patent Application EP 0 673 587.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of an alternative preferred embodimentof a communications terminal according to the invention. Shown is verycompact headset (500) comprising a microphone, transducer, or othersound capturing unit (505) for capturing sound for transmission in theform of a second electrical signal, where the sound capturing unit (505)is located at one end of a brace, arm, boom, etc. (504) so that thesound capturing unit may conveniently be placed in close proximity of auser's mouth. The other end of the brace, arm, boom, etc. (504) issecured to a, preferably watertight, container, housing, etc. (502)comprising the electronic elements/parts (except audio means) describedin connection with FIG. 1.

A brace, spring, arm, etc. (501) is also shown secured to the housing(502) which may be used to stabilise and secure the headset (500) to auser's head.

The headset (500) also comprises an aerial, antenna, etc. (not shown)used for wireless communication and operating means (506) like one ormore buttons, switches, etc. e.g. used for accepting/refusing calls. Theaerial may be an intern aerial located in the housing (502).Alternatively, the brace, arm, boom, etc. (504) may constitute theaerial.

Secured to the housing (502) is an earpiece (503) that may be mouldedand manufactured individually in conformity with a user's ear, to beinserted into the user's ear. The earpiece comprises a sound generator,etc. for playing the received sound in the user's ear.

Hereby, a very discrete, compact and hands-free or minimallyhand-operated communications terminal of a small physical size isobtained.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus, comprising: a wireless componentconfigured to receive, via a near field network, wireless data that isformatted according to a first network protocol, wherein the wirelessdata comprises a data packet formatted according to a second networkprotocol, and wherein the wireless unit is further configured to extractthe data packet from the wireless data; and an audio componentconfigured to generate a sound based on the data packet.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the first network protocol comprises atleast one of a radio-frequency communication protocol or an infraredcommunication protocol.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the secondnetwork protocol comprises at least one of a transmission controlprotocol, an internet protocol, or a point-to-point protocol.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless component is furtherconfigured to receive the wireless data from a connecting device thatinterfaces with a second network that accords to the second networkprotocol.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sound is a firstsound, and the audio component is further configured to detect a secondsound and convert the second sound to a signal.
 6. The apparatus ofclaim 5, wherein the conversion component is further configured toconvert the signal to digital data, and the protocol component isfurther configured to convert the digital data to an output data packetthat is formatted according to the second network protocol.
 7. Theapparatus of claim 6, wherein the wireless data is first wireless data,and wherein the wireless component is further configured to embed theoutput data packet in second wireless data that is formatted accordingto the first network protocol and send the second wireless data via thenear field network in accordance with the second network protocol. 8.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises at least oneof a headset or an ear-mountable terminal.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the wireless component is further configured to receive, via thenear field network, device identifier data that identifies a remotedevice, and initiate communication with the remote device based on thedevice identifier data.
 10. A method, comprising: receiving, via a nearfield network, wireless data that accords to a first network protocol,wherein the wireless data includes a data packet that accords to asecond network protocol; extracting the data packet from the wirelessdata; and generating a sound based on the data packet.
 11. The method ofclaim 10, wherein the first network protocol comprises at least one of aradio-frequency communication protocol or an infrared communicationprotocol.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein the second networkprotocol comprises at least one of a transmission control protocol, aninternet protocol, or a point-to-point protocol.
 13. The method of claim10, wherein the receiving comprises receiving the wireless data from aconnecting unit that interfaces with a second network based on thesecond network protocol.
 14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:detecting another sound; and converting the other sound to a signal. 15.The method of claim 14, further comprising: converting the signal todigital data; and converting the digital data to an output packet thataccords to the second network protocol.
 16. The method of claim 15,further comprising: embedding the output data packet in second wirelessdata that accords to the first network protocol; and sending the secondwireless data via the near field network based on the first networkprotocol.
 17. The method of claim 10, further comprising: receiving, viathe near field network, device identification data associated with adevice; and initiating communication with the device based on the deviceidentification data.
 18. A system, comprising: means for receivingwireless data via a near field network, wherein the wireless dataconforms to a first network protocol; means for extracting a data packetfrom the wireless data, wherein the data packet conforms to a secondnetwork protocol; and means for converting the data packet to yield asignal that facilitates generation of sound.
 19. The system of claim 18,further comprising: means for generating digital data based on adetected sound; means for converting the digital data to an outputpacket that conforms to the second network protocol; means for embeddingthe output packet in output wireless data that conforms to the firstnetwork protocol; and means for sending the output wireless data via thenear field network in accordance with the first network protocol. 20.The system of claim 18, wherein the first network protocol comprises atleast one of a radio-frequency communication protocol or an infraredcommunication protocol, and the second network protocol comprises atleast one of a transmission control protocol, an internet protocol, or apoint-to-point protocol.